"She is REALLY pretty. She cleans stuff...she has a mop. She lives in a castle far away...in Alaska, by Auntie Hailey, I think. She has a pretty crown on her head. She's a princess. Lots of people like her."
She explains that the girls at preschool have been playing Cinderella, and she watches them. Maggie is an observer, and this is not the first time she's come home to fill me in on something big. Last semester one little girl mixed her milk and water and drank it "all mixed up" every day.
I knew her world had opened up once again, and now, she knew...Cinderella was something little girls know about.
How ironic.
So, whenever we want to learn about something new we usually start with a trip to the library. I was putting my faith in literature, hoping it could give her what she needed...
Every time I venture off from the norm, I'm never quite sure how it will all go. I know I have to follow my instincts about what I feel is right...so I just put it all out there...to a librarian. It went a bit like this, "My daughter recently became interested in Cinderella, do you by chance know of any books that we could check out, unique versions of the story possibly?" And she simply smiled and responded, "Of course. How about a collection of stories about Cinderella from different cultures?"
PERFECT!
Maggie was so happy...we collected all the Cinderella stories and headed home. A very, very anxious little girl couldn't wait to get to reading. We read them all...in one evening. Her favorite Cinderella story came from the middle east...a fish instead of fairy godmother, beautiful henna decorated bodies, a sandal instead of a glass slipper! Each story was unique, each Cinderella looked completely different, but beautiful in her own way.
It makes me anxious sharing these details, and I'm not always sure why. Most likely I know that some might think I over think all this, some might not. BUT, I can't help but feel this went the right way.
Happily ever after.
3 comments:
Melissa, There is a Cinderella story from one of the eskimo tribe in Alaska. I will try to track it down for you, since Cinderella lives in Alaska :) You are handling this beautifully and as long as you continue to allow Maggie to the freedom to explore and define things in her own way with her own experiences, I can't see her giving it up for a cookie cutter idea.
An Alaskan Cinderella would be absolutely perfect! Thanks for the encouraging words...
On another note, we'll be in Boise soon for a visit! Let's do lunch!
The Alaska Cinderella made me smile. maybe Auntie Hailey can find the book there for her. Let me know.
Post a Comment